Maneuverable marking devices, which are well known in the art, are commonly used for a variety of purposes, e.g., for the striping or line marking of a variety of surfaces. For example, such devices have been used to mark the location of a property line, underground pipes or cables, planting areas for nursery stock as well as boundaries of athletic fields. Additional, and more common, uses of such marking devices are the application of marks in the form of stripes to delineate parking spaces, walkways, and the like.
Many currently available spraying devices use aerosol containers or cans as the sole source of marking material. Upon preparing to use one of these devices, an operator will typically insert the aerosol can into the device in an inverted configuration. Such positioning allows the orifice of the actuator to direct the marking material onto the surface over which the device will be subsequently propelled.
Devices which utilize the aforesaid aerosol containers are especially economical where the particular marking application is relatively small. Such economy arises primarily from the fact that a pressure source, e.g., an air compressor, is not required to effect discharge of the marking material from its source.
Moreover, such marking devices provide further advantages at the time the supply of marking material in a particular can is exhausted. For example, an empty can may simply be removed from the device and a new can inserted in its place. Such a procedure eliminates the need for clean-up of the marking material delivery system, as is typically required when a non-aerosol can-based marking device is employed.
The foregoing, as well as other advantages, e.g., ease of use, low initial start-up costs, and low maintenance costs, have made marking devices which employ aerosol cans as their source of marking material a very popular design.
Although hand-held marking devices are typically used for non-critical applications, it is generally recognized that a marking device which is wheeled along the surface to be marked is preferable for applications where a relatively high degree of accuracy is desired. However, unless the orifice is centered with regard to the device, as well as to the mark which is to be applied, it will be difficult to produce a consistently uniform mark. For example, if the orifice is not centered, one edge of the mark may receive less marking material than the opposite side, resulting in a non-uniform mark.
One method which has been employed to enhance the uniformity achieved when attempting to produce a wide mark, e.g., a parking lot stripe, is the use of an actuator orifice which is generally slotted, or rectangular, in shape. In such cases, the widest portion of the slot is oriented perpendicular to the direction of movement of the spraying device. Such orientation allows for wide, and uniform, distribution of the marking material across the width of the mark.
The above adoption of a slotted orifice does not, however, completely remedy the problem of non-uniformity. More specifically, such does not ensure that the orifice will be centered with regard to the device. One actuator design which attempts to address this centering, and therefore uniformity, problem is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,396,153. The '153 patent discloses an actuator for an aerosol can having two pairs of flexible and resilient wings which extend outwardly from opposing sides of the actuator body. Upon insertion of an aerosol can having such an actuator into a base on the marking device which has been designed to accept such an actuator, the wings engage inclined side walls of the base such that the rectangular actuator orifice is aligned perpendicular to the direction of travel of the marking device. If desired, the corners of the wings may be rounded in order to facilitate the insertion and alignment of the actuator.
In order for the actuator disclosed in the '153 patent to function as intended, however, the lateral dimensions of the wings must be precisely set so as to fit within the dimensions of the base. For example, if the lateral dimension of the wings are in excess of the optimum, the wings will not fit securely onto the base of the device. On the other hand, if the wings are too small, the actuator, and hence the orifice, will not be securely positioned on the base, this resulting in the orifice not being centered on the base. In summary, then, an oversized actuator will not be able to fit within the confines of the base thereby rendering the device inoperable, while an undersized actuator will result in the production of less than the highest quality marks due to the movement of the orifice about the base.
Accordingly, a need exists for an actuator and spraying device which will simply and inexpensively compensate for any under or oversizing of the actuator or of any dimensional irregularities present in the base of the marking device.